Battle Royale: Revisited
by rolandofthewhite
Summary: What would have happened if Shuya had attacked the instructor? If Kazuo's coin had landed on heads instead of tails? A reexamination of Battle Royale had certain events occurred differently. Based mostly on the novel with some aspects of the movie/manga.
1. Hour 0: 42 Remain

**ALIVE:**  
B01: Yoshio Akamatsu  
G01: Mizuho Inada  
B02: Keita Iijima  
G02: Yukie Utsumi  
B03: Tatsumichi Oki  
G03: Megumi Eto  
B04: Toshinori Oda  
G04: Sakura Ogawa  
B05: Shogo Kawada  
G05: Izumi Kanai  
B06: Kazuo Kiriyama  
G06: Yukiko Kitano  
B07: Yoshitoki Kuninobu  
G07: Yumiko Kusaka  
B08: Yoji Kuramoto  
G08: Kayoko Kotohiki  
B09: Hiroshi Kuronaga  
G09: Yuko Sakaki  
B10: Ryuhei Sasagawa  
G10: Hirono Shimizu  
B11: Hiroki Sugimura  
G11: Mitsuko Souma  
B12: Yutaka Seto  
G12: Haruka Tanizawa  
B13: Yuichiro Takiguchi  
G13: Takako Chigusa  
B14: Sho Tsukioka  
G14: Mayumi Tendo  
B15: Shuya Nanahara  
G15: Noriko Nakagawa  
B16: Kazushi Niida  
G16: Yuka Nakagawa  
B17: Mitsuru Numai  
G17: Satomi Noda  
B18: Tadakatsu Hatagami  
G18: Fumiyo Fujiyoshi  
B19: Shinji Mimura  
G19: Chisato Matsui  
B20: Kyoichi Motobuchi  
G20: Kaori Minami  
B21: Kazuhiko Yamamoto  
G21: Yoshimi Yahagi

**Pre-Game. 42 Remain.**

Shuya Nanahara awoke slowly. For a moment he simply lay there, his head foggy with sleep, before noticing that something seemed decidedly . . . off. As he sat up, his back popped sharply from the sudden change in position and he realized what it was that had struck him as odd: he had fallen asleep at a desk. With one hand he reached behind his back to knead the stiff muscles and waited in the darkness for his eyes—and mind—to focus. After a few seconds he could see well enough to get a basic idea of his surroundings.

He appeared to be in some sort of classroom, and all around him sat the slumped silhouettes of his forty-one classmates, each of them sprawled across their desks asleep as Shuya had been only moments ago. _Is this a dream?_ he thought fuzzily, his head still swimming. After a moment he noticed that the seating assignment was identical to that at Shiro Iwa High School; just ahead of him he could make out Yutaka Seto's mop of curly hair that he had grown so used to seeing the back of during class.

Bemused by the strangeness of the situation, Shuya tried to think back to the last thing he remembered. The overnight class trip. The long bus ride. Clowning around with Yoshitoki. Noriko offering them cookies. And then . . . everyone had begun to doze off? Had he fallen asleep as well? There was something more there, something buzzing just outside the reach of his memory like a forgotten dream. And all this _had_ to be a dream, right? Shuya glanced to his left where Sho Tsukioka lay across his desk, deep in sleep. Sho's girlish lips were slightly parted, allowing a thin string of spittle to dribble out the corner of his mouth and pool on his desk. Shuya's eyes narrowed, a flower of inexplicable worry suddenly blooming in his stomach. His dreams had never been _that_ detailed before. And the more he thought about it, the more certain he was that this didn't feel like a dream at all.

Anxious now, Shuya sought out the sleeping forms of his friends. Sitting in front of Sho was Hiroki Sugimura, the martial artist's lean frame looking odd bent over the desk like that. Past Hiroki was Shuya's best friend, Yoshitoki. Somewhere behind Yoshitoki, Shuya was sure, was Shinji. Shuya craned his neck to look over at the girls on the other side of the room, and managed to make out the shapes of Yumiko and Yukiko before his eyes fell upon Noriko Nakagawa. She had fallen asleep at an awkward angle, her shoulder-length hair obscuring her face and exposing a pale, slender neck. And that was when Shuya saw it.

The collar.

It fit snugly around Noriko's neck, the silver metal gleaming even in the low light. The side of the collar was studded intermittently with what looked to be tiny LEDs, though none were currently lit.

By now all traces of Shuya's former grogginess had vanished, replaced by a horrible, sinking certainty. He leaned over and pushed the sleeping Sho's head to the side to reveal an identical silver collar. Then, with trembling fingers, he reached up to touch the cold metal that encircled his own neck.

_Oh shit.  
_

_

* * *

_

The door to the classroom slammed open and a man strode in confidently, followed by three armed soldiers who flipped on the lights as they entered. The harsh fluorescents buzzed to life, and Shuya blinked unsteadily at the sudden flare of light. The man walked over to the teacher's desk at the front of the room, placing his briefcase on it before turning expectantly to face the class, clasping his hands behind his back as he did so. Shuya stared at the man, his features tightening with dull shock as he realized just who he was looking at. The man was in his early forties, short and thickly built. His hair was wavy, framing a face that was once handsome but now glowed with a sinister, impish glee. A small, black pin with red lettering was clipped to the lapel of his suit. The soldiers that stood behind him were nondescript except for the same black pin attached to their clothing. They held their automatic firearms loosely at their chests, faces blank.

The familiar man's twinkling eyes met Shuya's, and he smiled as he recognized the naked fear on Shuya's face. Around them, others began to stir and awaken, and the air was soon filled with cries of panic and confusion.

"Where the hell are we?" cried Ryuhei Sasagawa indignantly, his hands balled into tight fists.

Kyoichi Motobuchi nervously adjusted his thick glasses. "What time is it? Did everyone fall asleep?" he asked no one in particular, his quiet voice going unheard in the din.

"Is that...?" Haruka Tanizawa trailed off, gaping first at the man at the front of the room, who continued to grin charmingly, and then at the soldiers. Haruka, like several others, had begun to realize exactly what was going on. Some, like Sakura Ogawa, had figured it out almost immediately. Sakura sat quietly, one hand touching her collar and silent tears rolling down her face.

The volume in the classroom reached a deafening crescendo as everyone awoke, and after a few moments realized the gravity of their situation. Some people began weeping openly, while others stared blankly ahead in shock. A few such as Shogo Kawada and Kazuo Kiryama, who were sitting side-by-side, showed no response at all, simply waiting patiently for the smiling man to speak. And when he finally did speak, it was with the pleasant but somehow smug voice that they had all heard before, either on the television or in numerous radio adverts.

"Welcome, class," the man simpered, "to Battle Royale!"

There came a burst of nervous, screaming laughter from the back of the class. Everyone turned to see a Kazushi Niida, who was blushing furiously but also looked close to vomiting. The man at the front of the room cleared his throat and began to speak again.

"My name is Yonemi Kamon," he began, quite unnecessarily. They all knew his name. "You may call me Sir. I do hope all of you are feeling well; the gas we used was designed to have no lingering effects, but you never know, hmm?"

The class simply stared at him. Megumi Eto began to cry in the front row, panicked, hitching sobs. Kamon leered at the group.

"Attentive. Very good! On the whole you show a lot of promise, but I guess we'll see, won't we? Now I'm sure you all know why you're here---"

Kyoichi Motobuchi's hand shot up frantically in the back of the class; Kamon ignored it.

"---but in case you don't, I will explain. Your class has been chosen to participate in this year's Battle Royale competition. Forty-two of you will compete until only one remains. Survival of the fittest. Kill or be killed."

Though they all knew the premise of the Battle Royale program, some of them were less-than-prepared to hear it so bluntly put. To hear it apply to _them_. Yoshitoki Kuninobu glanced frantically back at Shuya, who returned the expression. Yuka Nakagawa reached under her desk for her friend Satomi's hand, and squeezed it tightly. Kyoichi Motobuchi, tired of his waving arm being ignored, stood up.

"There must be a mistake!" he fairly screamed. Sweat dripped from his nose and brow. "My father works for the government! There's no way my father would allow this! I-I _can't_ be chosen!"

There was a moment of pregnant silence, and Kamon suddenly began to laugh heartily, waving at Kyoichi with his hands. "Sit down, Mr. Motobuchi. There has been no mistake. Equality, you see? No one is exempt from Battle Royale. Not even the sons of," he sniffed disdainfully and rolled his eyes, his sudden jollity now gone, "minor Environmental officers."

Kyoichi collapsed in his seat, his face ashen.

"As I'm sure you're all aware, Battle Royale is the highest-grossing reality television show in the country, authorized and run by the government. You've all been in holding for a little over three days while we've made the necessary preparations: making sure you're all in acceptable physical condition, and of course," Kamon continued, "making the press release and drumming up publicity for this year's season. I'm sure it will please some of you to know that right the country is in a frenzy, placing bets on which of you will win! Trading cards are being printed! Lunchboxes will have your faces on them! Exciting stuff, huh?"

His enthusiasm was met with dull, shell-shocked silence. Unfazed, he went on.

"We notified your parents and guardians before the press release to spare them the shock of suddenly seeing you all on TV, and of course they all send their best wishes! So make them proud!"

Yoshitoki turned, shooting another glance at Shuya. They had lived at the local Catholic orphanage together for several years, and neither of them had any relatives to contact. So who had Kamon notified about Shuya and him? The face of Ms. Anno, the beautiful and kind orphanage caretaker who had raised them, rose in his mind, accompanied by a sick apprehension. Ms. Anno, who had always, in her own quiet way, resisted the barbarity of the program. How well could she have reacted to hearing that he and Shuya had been taken to participate? Yoshitoki raised his hand warily.

"Yes?" Kamon purred.

"Shuya and I… Who did you contact for us?" Yoshitoki asked, his voice wavering with uneasiness.

Kamon's smile grew, his lips pulling apart hungrily. "Ah, the orphanage bitch. Such a delicate beauty, don't you think?"

Yoshitoki began to tremble, his knuckles turning white as he gripped the edge of his desk. "What did you do to Ms. Anno?" he whispered.

Kamon's smile grew wider still, until it seemed to stretch across his entire face. "She very adamantly protested your selection for Battle Royale, to the point that we had to…subdue her."

Yoshitoki stood up, only vaguely aware of Shuya getting out of his seat as well, and when he spoke his voice was no longer a whisper, but a full-out scream. "What did you do to Ms. Anno?"

"Tough love, Mr. Kuninobu," Kamon smiled, lost in the memory. "At first she resisted, but in the end she was more than willing to…share herself. And so _tight_…"

"You _motherfucker_!" Yoshitoki roared. Though he was slight of build and not at all physically threatening, Kamon winced slightly at the scream. "I'm going to kill you, you piece of shit!"

Regaining his composure, Kamon simply shrugged his shoulders and smiled maddeningly. "I only did what I had to do, Mr. Kuninobu. If you want to blame anyone, blame the bitch. If she had only complied---"

His words were cut off as of the students rushed at him, screaming in fury.


	2. Hour 1: 42 Remain

**ALIVE:**  
B01: Yoshio Akamatsu  
G01: Mizuho Inada  
B02: Keita Iijima  
G02: Yukie Utsumi  
B03: Tatsumichi Oki  
G03: Megumi Eto  
B04: Toshinori Oda  
G04: Sakura Ogawa  
B05: Shogo Kawada  
G05: Izumi Kanai  
B06: Kazuo Kiriyama  
G06: Yukiko Kitano  
B07: Yoshitoki Kuninobu  
G07: Yumiko Kusaka  
B08: Yoji Kuramoto  
G08: Kayoko Kotohiki  
B09: Hiroshi Kuronaga  
G09: Yuko Sakaki  
B10: Ryuhei Sasagawa  
G10: Hirono Shimizu  
B11: Hiroki Sugimura  
G11: Mitsuko Souma  
B12: Yutaka Seto  
G12: Haruka Tanizawa  
B13: Yuichiro Takiguchi  
G13: Takako Chigusa  
B14: Sho Tsukioka  
G14: Mayumi Tendo  
B15: Shuya Nanahara  
G15: Noriko Nakagawa  
B16: Kazushi Niida  
G16: Yuka Nakagawa  
B17: Mitsuru Numai  
G17: Satomi Noda  
B18: Tadakatsu Hatagami  
G18: Fumiyo Fujiyoshi  
B19: Shinji Mimura  
G19: Chisato Matsui  
B20: Kyoichi Motobuchi  
G20: Kaori Minami  
B21: Kazuhiko Yamamoto  
G21: Yoshimi Yahagi

**Pre-Game. 42 Remain.**

---

His eyes bulging with anger, Yoshitoki stumbled out of his seat. The happy-go-lucky, easygoing kid who Shuya had laughed with, shared a room with, grown up with, was gone, replaced by something ancient and bestial. Yoshitoki's breath whistled out from between bared teeth, and with a shaky step forward he prepared to lunge at the man who had raped Ms. Anno. That asshole, Kamon.

Suddenly someone rushed past him, moving with deadly purpose. Yoshitoki froze, shock instantly dissipating his anger like water on a flame.

It was Shuya.

His handsome face was nearly unrecognizable, lips pulled back in a scream, cheeks flushed, muscles taut with fury. Even though he was seated two rows behind Yoshitoki, Shuya had easily managed to rush to the front of the room before Yoshitoki could even open his mouth. He always had been the fastest guy in gym class, after all.

Shuya was at the front row now. He jumped, planting one foot on Keita Iijima's desk, using it as a springboard to leap at Kamon. It was all happening so quickly, yet for Yoshitoki time seemed to slow to a crawl as he watched his best friend charge toward the man who had violated the closest thing they had to a mother. Shuya was suspended in mid-leap, his scream echoing off the paneled walls. Kamon's eyes twinkled dangerously as the boy flew toward him, but he made no effort to move. From behind Kamon, however, came a quick synchronization of movement.

The three soldiers simultaneously raised their submachine guns.

_Shuya!_ Yoshitoki screamed inwardly, unable to open his mouth. To his left he heard one of the girls let out a shriek. _Oh God, it's all happening so fast---_

Shuya saw the soldiers move, but it was too late; he was unable to stop his leap. The middle soldier stepped into the path of Shuya's jump, between the boy and Kamon, and raised his gun---

_NO!_

…driving the butt of it directly into Shuya's stomach. Shuya let out a surprised grunt and seemed to fold in half in midair, collapsing to the floor at the soldier's feet.

The room was silent, everyone unconsciously holding their breath. Without saying a word the soldier stepped back into formation behind Kamon. The Battle Royale host moved forward, nudging Shuya with his foot.

"Now wasn't _that_ a stupid thing to do?" he cooed. Shuya, all the breath driven from his lungs by the soldier's blow, could only gasp in response. Kamon drew back his foot and delivered a practiced kick to Shuya just below the ribs, causing the boy to double up in agony. Kamon launched a second kick at his shoulder, flipping him over on his back. Shuya stared up at the ceiling, his eyes rolling wildly as he struggled to breathe.

"Leave him alone!" one of the girls yelled. His voice still seemingly paralyzed, Yoshitoki turned toward that sweetly familiar voice.

It was Noriko. She too stood at her desk, her eyes burning and tears running down her cheeks. _She's beautiful even when she's crying_, Yoshitoki thought stupidly. He had liked Noriko for over a year now, but had been too chicken to ever say anything to her. And though she was very pretty in an ordinary kind of way, it wasn't her looks that had attracted him to her; it was something else, something that Yoshitoki could never properly articulate. Kamon glanced at Noriko for a moment, nonplussed, before leaning over Shuya.

"Can you understand me, Shuya?" he whispered. Shuya wheezed.

"Good boy! Now understand this: I really don't want to have to kill you. I get pay deducted for every student that dies before the game begins." In a single, smooth moment, Kamon drew a pistol from his suit and placed it at Shuya's temple.

"But…it's been known to happen before!" he giggled. "Now, if you so much as speak until you leave this room, first I'll kill your friend…"

He quickly pointed the pistol at Yoshitoki, and then at Noriko. Her cheeks glowed as if she'd been slapped, and she sat down heavily.

"…then your little girlfriend. Then you. I don't fuck around, my friend. Are we clear?"

Shuya was beginning to regain his breath. Struggling to speak, he managed to cough out, "Fuck. You."

Kamon laughed again. "That's the spirit! Now, Mr. Kuninobu, come help your friend back to his seat so we can continue. Unless you have something else you wish to say? Something about me fucking my mother, was it?"

Yoshitoki felt that unfamiliar hate bubble up in him again as Kamon taunted him, but he fought to suppress it. He had to think of Shuya. And Noriko. Feeling numb, he broke his paralysis and walked to the front of the class, helping Shuya to his feet. Shuya said nothing, but leaned heavily against Yoshitoki as they both returned to their seats.

"Now where were we?" Kamon addressed the class. "Ah, yes, let me explain the rules for those of you unfamiliar. It's extremely simple: all you have to do is kill one another. That's it. The final survivor gets to return home with a lifetime pension and an autographed certificate from the Dictator! Awesome, huh? Now naturally we want you to be yourselves, but ratings _are_ important, so don't be afraid to get a little creative with your kills!"

One of the girls started crying again.

"You'll each be randomly assigned a bag containing a weapon, a map, a compass, a watch, and some food and water. No two weapons will be the same; some are really good, and others are…really bad. This is to help eliminate natural advantages that some of you may have. So basically---"

On cue, the door swung open and three more soldiers entered, pushing a cart laden with black bags.

"---you'll each grab a bag off the top of the pile on your way out. I recommend opening it up once you get outside to check what weapon you received," he smiled. "When you get outside, the game will start immediately, and that brings me onto the next part: the island." Kamon cleared his throat, and one of the soldiers behind him reached up above the chalkboard, lowering a map. This was not the world map that most classrooms would have; rather it was a map of a small, oblong island. It was marked off in a grid, labeled A through J along the side, and one through ten across the top. "You'll be released one by one, starting with Boy #1, Yoshio Akamatsu…"

At hearing his name, Yoshio, a large and timid kid who got picked on by some of the other boys, looked completely terrified.

"...then Girl #1, then Boy #2, etc. One person will be released every minute out into the island. We've evacuated all the people living here, so feel free to stay in the houses, though there won't be any electricity or running water." He pointed to G7. "Here is the school, where we are now. Five minutes after the last person leaves the school, this area will become a 'Danger Zone'. Now what is a Danger Zone, you might ask? It is an area that you are forbidden to enter. I'll be making announcements every six hours listing which of you have been killed, and along with that I'll also tell you which areas will become Danger Zones in the next few hours. No one would die if everyone just hid out, so the addition of new Danger Zones will keep you on the move, and also shrink the amount of space in which you _can_ move, you see? And those collars you're all wearing?"

At this nearly everyone in the class unconsciously reached up to touch their own collar.

"If you are still in an area when it becomes a Danger Zone, or if you move into one, your collar with detonate. Boom." He paused here, savoring the looks of shock and horror that crossed the students' faces. "And these collars are very hi-tech. They measure your vital signs, letting us know that you're still alive. Don't even think of trying to remove them, either; attempting to tamper with the collars will cause them to automatically detonate." Though almost everyone knew about the program collars already, several of those who had been fidgeting with their collars drew their hands back as if burnt.

"They're also waterproof and shockproof, so you're stuck with them until you're declared the winner…or you're dead. Speaking of, the game has a time limit. Three days. If, at the end of three days more than one person is still alive, then we will transmit a signal to everyone's collar, and they'll all explode. No one wins. And don't go trying to dig a hole to hide in or anything stupid like that. The signal _is_ strong and it _will_ find you, guaranteed. I doubt it will come to that, though. Because remember this, kids: even if you aren't willing to do it, there _will_ be those of you who are all too ready to kill if it means saving their own lives. So be careful about teaming up, hmm? Because in the end there can only be one winner, so…it's you or them."

That did it. Several students looked nervously around at their friends, frantically considering which of them would be trustworthy and which would stab them in the back. As their eyes met, they quickly looked away, but the paranoia had already begun. Yukie Utsumi saw others doing this in her peripheral vision and suddenly felt sick, but said nothing.

"Now everyone take a pencil and a piece of paper out of your desk." There was a scrabbling as everyone numbly complied.

"Now I want you to write the following: we will kill each other. Write it several times, please; it helps the message to sink in!"

And so they did.

Yuichiro hesitantly moved his pencil across the paper, overwhelmed by the unreality of the situation. He was thinking about what he would do once he got outside. Kamon said the game would begin as soon as they left, but would anyone really kill each other? He though about the class thugs: Kazuo Kiriyama, Mitsuru Numai, Ryuhei Sasagawa, Sho Tsukioka, and Hiroshi Kuronaga. Would they be willing to kill? He glanced over at Kazuo, who calmly tore a corner off his sheet of paper and subtly passed it back to Hiroshi Kuronaga, who read it and nodded.

Yuichiro gulped.

The best thing to do, of course, would be to meet up with Shuya. And Noriko. He considered for a moment. They had the same student number; Shuya was Boy #15 and Noriko was Girl #15. Could he get them to join up? Yuichiro looked back at Shuya, who was sitting stiffly at his desk, a furious expression on his face. Yuichiro caught his glance and nodded his head toward Noriko, his eyes pleading. Shuya nodded back, understanding immediately; he knew how Yuichiro felt about Noriko. Yuichiro turned back to face the front. _Now I just need to figure out how to meet up with them_, he thought unhappily, and continued writing.

After they had all laid down their pencils, Kamon spoke again for the final time.

"It's midnight now, so let's begin. When I call your name you'll need to come forward, grab a bag off the top of the cart, and leave. The hallway should take you directly outside. Remember: the game will begin as soon as you leave. I wouldn't tarry outside the building too long. Oh, and you can take your regular packs that you brought for the trip with you. You never know when you might need a change of clothes!" he beamed.

There was a moment of silence and someone in the back of the class imitated a cricket chirp. Several people laughed nervously. The culprit, Shinji Mimura, just smiled innocently. Kamon frowned at this, then opened up his briefcase, pulling out an official class roster.

"Boy #1, Yoshio Akamatsu," he called out, and with that, the game began.

* * *

Mayumi Tendo watched quietly as Yoshio stood, trembling with fear. Yoshio, the kid who wouldn't even hurt a fly, being thrust into a game like this? The thought of it made her ill. He grabbed one of the black bags from the top of the cart and made his way hesitantly to the open door. He paused there, turning to look at his fellow classmates. For a second his eyes seemed to flicker crazily in his head, and Mayumi was reminded of a dog she had as a kid. It had been hit by a car, and Mayumi had found it as she was coming home from school. Crying, she had held it until it died. Its eyes had looked like Yoshio's, full of stupid terror. Shuddering, she brushed away the bad memory.

And so they had each left one-by-one. After Yoshio had been the strange, nerdy girl, Mizuho. Then Keita, then class president Yukie, who had left stiffly, giving Kamon a look of undisguised loathing as she walked out the door. As Girl #4, Sakura Ogawa left, Mayumi saw her catch the eyes of her boyfriend, Kazuhiko Yamamoto. She wiped away her tears, pointed up toward the ceiling, and he nodded in response. What had all that been about? Similarly, Kazuo Kiriyama's gang all looked pretty smug as they left. _They're going to meet up, I imagine_, she thought grimly, hoping she would be able to meet up with Izumi. She watched as the flamboyant Sho Tsukioka departed, and a minute later she heard the name she had been dreading.

"Girl #14, Mayumi Tendo!" Kamon intoned.

_This is it. Stay cool, girl. You are_ not _going to cry in front of all these people_, she instructed herself, quickly standing, grabbing her trip pack, and then taking one of the black bags from the cart. Its weight was reassuring. Slinging it over one shoulder, she could feel the eyes of her classmates on her, but she did not return their looks. Without a word she stepped through the door and into the game.

The hallway was dim, but she couldn't afford to wait until her eyes adjusted. The next person out would be Shuya Nanahara, right? He was a cool enough guy, but in the end he _was_ a guy, and she didn't trust the boys in a game like this. And he _did_ try to attack Kamon, so what was to say he wouldn't do the same to her? She made her way down the hallway, past rows of open classroom doors. They stared at her like dark eyes, prompting her to walk even faster. Ahead of her, moonlight shone through the glass double-doors that led outside, and as she reached them she paused. "The game will begin as soon as you leave," Kamon had said. _Am I ready?_ Before she could answer herself, she pushed open the glass door and stepped outside.

She didn't know what she was expecting (The previous twenty-seven students to be standing there armed with spears to attack her? Ha ha.) but the area in front of the school seemed to be entirely devoid of life. The school was surrounded by forest on all sides but the front, where there was a large clearing and a road leading off into the darkness. The front steps of the school were covered by a wooden awning, and as she descended the stairs and stepped out onto the grass, the bright moonlight played over her face.

She had always been a very pretty girl, and so of course she attracted a decent amount of attention from boys (all of which she blatantly ignored). This, combined with her hair (always worn in a rather severe French braid), gave her a reputation as being somewhat cold and standoffish. Her only close friend was Izumi, really, though she was somewhat friendly with Yukie and that group.

She had vaguely been hoping that Izumi would be out here waiting for her. _Kinda stupid, huh?_ she sighed. Still, she needed to get moving before the next person came out. She readjusted her bags and began to walk quickly toward the tree line when---

_THWOK!_

Something silver and metallic flew past her face, so close she felt the wind from it across her cheek, and planted itself in the ground in front of her. In the moonlight she could see four tiny "wings" protruding from the back of the metal shaft. It was an arrow.

Mayumi turned quickly, gasping as she saw…

Boy #1, Yoshio Akamatsu stood atop the wooden awning covering the front steps, a crossbow in one hand and a silver arrow in the other as he attempted to reload his weapon.


End file.
